The Bruce

This engrossing biography of Robert the Bruce, Scotland’s famous warrior-king, is adapted from the epic verse of John Barbour – a famous Scottish poet, who wrote his life’s work in the Scots language.

We hear tell of how the great king dealt with conflicts between the noble houses of Medieval Scotland, and the ever-present threat of the encroaching English. Of particular highlight are the battle narratives, which count among the most elaborate and descriptive to survive from the period. Barbour places great emphasis upon the Bruce’s heroism and daring feats of bravery both political and military, his work being written to commemorate the emergence of Robert’s successor, Robert the Second.

While modern histories offer a more even-handed and detailed look at both Robert’s achievements and his shortcomings, Barbour’s great poem – and modern English translations of it such as this – remain core sources for historians of Medieval Scotland. Compared against research, it is generally thought more reliable and accurate than most verse, and it celebrates concepts such as freedom from oppression, as well as Scotland’s deep-seated identity as a nation.

The translator, George Eyre-Todd, was a scholar and historian of Medieval times; his translation is both faithful and competent to the original Scots verse.